You Win and You Lose
by The Erumpent Horn
Summary: Mara Grayson is the newly crowned Divas Champion. However, when she and Randy see his ex-wife while they celebrate, things go horribly wrong for the happy in love couple. One shot for DivaliciousDooL, rated T.


**Hello, hello, hello. This is a little Randy Orton/OC one-shot for DivaliciousDooL. There's mentions of a little naughtiness, but no actual naughtiness, so I think we're good with the T. It's nice and fluffy in some places and a little sad in others, but hey, what can you do? It's been a while coming, this one, but it's finally done, and I can focus more on some of my other projects.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't feel like I actually have to say it, but you know I don't own the WWE, and you know I don't own Randy. I don't even own Mara. All I own from this little baby is the plot.**

**Enjoy, beauties.**

* * *

Mara waited on the other side of the curtain, waiting for her music to hit. She was so pumped about the match about to commence that she wanted to screech with joy. Mara Grayson – after two years on the main roster in the WWE and no tangible achievements to show for it – was about to win her very first Divas title. She was going to make it the best match it could be as well. Mara wasn't about to win the title by a fluke, it was going to be clear that she was dominating Eve Torres. It's not like Eve really needed the title, to be honest. It was her third title reign, and she was already in the middle of a storyline where she was Booker T's assistant. It was scripted that Mara was going to win it, and Kaitlyn was going to challenge Mara for it before Survivor Series, only to be unsuccessful. Mara was tapped on the shoulder, and the first few bars of her music hit, and she walked out to a big pop. Eve was already waiting in the ring, and Mara grinned as she waited to win.

Half an hour later, Mara leapt into her boyfriend's arms, wrapped her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist. She ignored the bite of her title in her stomach, and she kissed Randy enthusiastically. Randy Orton, the WWE's resident Viper, was her best friend since they were sixteen. When he'd divorced his wife the year before, it was only a matter of time before they came together. And so they had after a night of confessions and getting all their troubles off their chests. She was pretty sure she was the happiest she could be, having the Divas Title and the man to boot.

"Baby," said Randy, breaking the kiss. Mara hummed happily. "Mara baby, your title is trying to tear the skin off my stomach."

"Oh, oops," said Mara with a small smile. She climbed down off of the former World Heavyweight Champion. "Sorry, I'm just happy, you know? It's about time I was given a chance."

"I know. Do you want to go out and celebrate?" Randy asked.

"Sure," replied Mara. She darted back to her locker room to change into her street clothes. Carefully, the new Divas Champion placed the butterfly emblazoned belt into her back on top of her ring gear. She ran her fingers over the cool metal, unable to stop the smile spreading across her face. Quickly, she joined her boyfriend in the hallway between their two lockers rooms, and they headed back to the hotel together so they could get changed and go out. "Hey, Randy?"

"Yes, Mara?" Randy replied as the pair arrived in the hotel lobby.

"Where were you thinking we'd go? I need to know if you want me to dress casual or more formal." Mara said seriously. Randy laughed, and he remained silent until they opened the door to their hotel room. On the bed was a box with a wide purple bow – the exact shade of her wrestling gear. She narrowed her dark eyes at her boyfriend, who gestured to the box before stripping off and stepping into the bathroom to shower. Mara sat down cross legged on the bed behind the box. She tucked a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear before pulling at the end of the purple ribbon. The bow fell apart, and she took a breath before pulling the lid off the box.

Mara gasped. There was a sparkly, beaded material in the box. She pulled it out carefully and held the dress up against her. The beautiful thing was black and came to her knees. The sweetheart neckline was modest and dipped into a v at the top of her cleavage. And then there were the beads. The black beads accentuated her small waist and flat stomach and they reflected the dim light in the room. It was beautiful and _so _her. Mara's hair was still in the curls that her hair had been teased into before the show, so she left it as it was. She'd had a really quick shower before she left the arena, so she was ready to just get changed into the dress. All she really needed to do was reapply her make-up. She was going to let the dress do the talking, so she kept it simple with a bit of eyeliner, some mascara and a hint of lipstick. She was just spraying a little perfume onto her neck and wrists as Randy came out of the bathroom, freshly showered and dressed in a shirt and pants that looked as though they were brand new. He'd not shaven, but Mara preferred him like that, and she blushed, thinking that though it would be nice to wear the dress out that night, she'd probably rather see it on the bedroom floor. Randy looked her up and down slowly, and he licked his lips while Mara bit hers to hide her proud smile.

"It's a really beautiful dress," she said, breaking the thick silence that was filled with promises. "Thank you."

"My pleasure," replied the Viper. "It looks… stunning… especially on you. I mean, it looked good on the mannequin, but wow."

Mara definitely grinned then, and she padded forward to kiss him lightly before slipping on some black heels. He held her hand tightly as they passed some of their colleagues in the hotel lobby and he chatted to her idly as they drove to the restaurant Randy had booked them a table at. It was wonderful, the way he looked at her, and the way she was treated at the clearly expensive restaurant. She'd never felt more special before. It was all happening, in that one amazing night. The title, the dress, the dinner. She was pretty sure that _nothing _was going to bring her down. Until she saw Samantha Speno, formerly Orton, with another guy a few tables away from theirs. The smile slid off of her face faster than she expected, and Randy looked around to see what was bothering Mara. When he laid eyes on his ex-wife, who was looking furiously at Mara, he froze and his stomach filled with dread.

"What are you doing here with her?" Sam hissed, the bitterness showing through. Neither the newly crowned Divas Champion nor her boyfriend had wanted his ex-wife to come over, but it seemed she couldn't help herself.

"What does it look like? We're having dinner." Mara said, staring her down.

"You're together?"

"Yes," said Randy. "And we're trying to enjoy a nice meal, so could you please just leave us alone?"

"Oh sure," said Sam. She no longer sounded pissed off, which worried Mara. "Just don't bother coming to see Alanna. I can't have my daughter being around just any woman. She'll think you're trying to replace me."

Mara's jaw dropped as she looked on at the self-satisfied look on Sam's face, and at Randy's trembling hands. He stood and looked his ex-wife right in the eye. Sam swallowed, but didn't back down. "There is no way you will ever stop me from seeing my daughter, you stupid whore."

"Try me, Randall. I won't have Alanna around _her_."

"And who said he was planning to?" Mara retorted. Sam ignored her, and Randy sent her a sideways glance that Mara couldn't interpret.

"Choose. It's either your daughter or your girlfriend," said Samantha. She smirked, spun on her heel and walked off back to her table. Randy's face was deathly pale, and they walked out of the restaurant, Randy slapping a couple of hundred dollar bills onto the table before they left. The car ride back to the hotel was one that was silent, and Mara was wondering just how someone could be so cruel. Not a single person on the planet could ever doubt just how much Randall Keith Orton loved his daughter, and to use the young girl as a weapon was despicable.

"We need to talk," said Randy as soon as they walked into the hotel room. Mara toed off her shoes, slipped out of the dress and put on some sweat pants and a t-shirt, saying nothing. She replaced everything into her suitcase, tears dripping down her cheeks slowly and thickly. She slipped on some Converse, and dug through her purse for some cash, gently placing all two hundred and forty three dollars and fifty nine cents down onto the bedside cabinet.

"Nothing needs to be said," said Mara as Randy watched, frozen. "I get it. You really think I don't? I know that if it came between your daughter and me, she'd win it without hesitation. And I respect that. I understand. Your child comes first. I love you."

She headed towards the door of the hotel room, slipping past the still frozen Viper. "Wait."

"Please don't make this any harder than it already is, Randy. I can't stay, not if you ever want to see your daughter again," said Mara, tears spilling thickly down her cheeks. Her now ex-boyfriend closed the gap between them in a few simple steps, and she closed her eyes. His large hands cupped her cheeks gently, and his thumbs brushed away her tears. Her eyes snapped back open, and she gazed into his blue eyes, as if trying to imprint his face onto her brain. The corner of his mouth turned up for a heartbeat before his lips pressed down on hers, prying them apart to slide his tongue into her mouth to dance with hers. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and the tears continued to flow as they kissed for what seemed to be the final time. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily. He pecked her lips once, twice, three times, before he pulled back to gaze at her again.

"I'm so, so sorry. If I could have it any other way…" Randy told her. She nodded silently and stretched up to peck his lips once last time. Then she grabbed her suitcase, left the room and headed to the elevator. When she was inside the elevator, she wiped her face dry of the tears and removed the smudges of eye make-up from beneath the puffy lids. She sniffed once and took as deep a breath as she could before heading into the lobby. There, she booked herself another room, on a different floor to the Viper, and she headed up. When she got inside her new room, she held it together long enough to remove her make-up and change into her pyjama's before she curled up into a foetal position underneath the covers. There, the dam burst and she sobbed herself to sleep, hating Samantha Speno for all she was worth and mourning the loss of the one thing that made her happiest. What was a bit of metal and leather compared to Randy Orton? What was a title, if she didn't have love? She wished she didn't have it at all. If she hadn't got it, he wouldn't have taken her for a celebratory dinner, and they wouldn't have seen Sam. _And then she still would have had him!_

* * *

Two months later, after a bitterly cold December, Mara Grayson was sat at her mother's kitchen table, a cup of hot chocolate in her hands on New Year's Eve. It had been two months. She'd lost the title, to AJ, who was on an impressive heel turn and back with CM Punk onscreen. She barely spoke to Randy anymore, but she was still good friends with John Cena, who kept her updated, unasked. She missed the Viper, and quite frankly, she was lonely. Her family had gone out to celebrate and watch some fireworks for midnight, and they had left her behind as she feigned being ill.

The doorbell chimed, and Mara frowned. She wasn't expecting visitors, and her family had only left half an hour previously. Pulling her dressing gown tighter around her body, she walked over to the door and opened it slowly. Randy stood there, his fingers fiddling with the ends of his scarf. He smiled hesitantly, and Mara wordlessly stood aside to let him come in the house. She'd not spoken to him in over a week, and that was only because he'd said 'Merry Christmas' to her. It hadn't been a merry Christmas at all.

"So," she said. "Why are you here, Randy?"

"I drove to your house, but you weren't there, so I figured that the only other place you would be is here."

"You couldn't have called?"

"No," said Randy. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. The TV was on, showing that the countdown was soon to begin. Her arms had wound themselves around his neck, and she buried her face into his shoulder. He held her tighter, and the countdown began.

_10. _Randy's arms loosened around her waist.

_9. _She frowned into his shoulder and sighed.

_8._ His hands fell to her hips.

_7._ She pulled back slightly to stare at him.

_6._ Her hands slipped to his shoulders.

_5._ He brushed a lock of hair from her face.

_4._ The pair of wrestlers swallowed nervously together, and then chuckled.

_3._ Mara bit her lip.

_2._ Randy's face closed the gap to hover millimetres from hers.

_1. _His lips touched hers softly and sweetly.

He'd given her a New Year's Kiss. The man who she'd left because he'd had to choose between her and his daughter had kissed her. He'd driven hundreds of miles to come and find her.

"I made it on time," he whispered. She nodded numbly. "I have a Christmas present for you."

"Oh? I didn't get you anything." Mara said. Randy smiled and took a letter from his pocket, pushing it into her hand. She opened it up and scanned the words, a frown forming between her brows and her breath stopping altogether as she reached the end. Her eyes left the paper and stared into his, and he smiled again, more uncertainly.

"This letter is from my lawyer. Sam can't make me choose. She hasn't got a valid reason to stop me from seeing Alanna if I'm with you, because you've not broken the law. She's just jealous and her jealousy can't do a thing. If I have to, I can get a court order that ensures I see my daughter at least once a month. I already pay maintenance money for Alanna, and I pay for Alanna's school and health insurance. I don't have to choose anymore. I can have both of you," said Randy, beaming.

Mara glanced down at the paper again. She looked back up at Randy. Her gaze flickered between the letter and the man several more times before she said a word. And even then, Randy didn't let her. He'd given her a small box. Mara bit her lip and opened it slowly, gasping at the beautiful locket nestled inside. It was gold, and it was a small oval with a diamond in the centre. She opened the delicate oval to see a very small picture of the two of them beaming. Inscribed on the other side of the locket, the side that had no picture were the words: "_I love you, and I want you to be mine forever._"

"Are you serious?"

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't," said Randy. Mara smiled and leapt into his arms, kissing him with everything she had. He sank to his knees on the floor, with her still attached to him, and they kissed fast and passionately. His cold fingers stroked her skin just beneath the hem of her dressing gown, and she broke the kiss, gasping for air. Her forehead touched his.

"Not here. This is my parent's house. Can you imagine if they came back and saw… well, that?" Mara said with a breathless giggle. Randy pecked her again. Just then, the door opened again, and Mara's parents walked into the living room to see Mara and Randy hugging each other as tightly as they could.

"Mr and Mrs Grayson," said Randy quietly, nodding his head to them. Mara reluctantly let go of Randy, and she eyed her parents.

"Randall, dear, I can only hope that you're here for good reasons?" Kate Grayson asked the wrestler.

"Only good reasons, Mrs Grayson."

"Would you like to stay the night?"

"I'd love to, thank you, but only if it's not any trouble," said Randy, smiling at the older woman. She insisted it wasn't, and shooed the lovers to bed, where the cuddled up to each other under the sheets. He kissed her slowly now that he was sure he had her, and before they went to sleep, he cupped her cheek. "Can you forgive me?"

"There isn't a single thing to forgive. I was never going to make you choose between me and your daughter, Randy. I'm just glad I have you now. It means that the festive season isn't completely awful. Thanks for the necklace, too, it's beautiful."

"I love you," replied Randy softly, kissing her forehead. She beamed in the dark, snuggling closer to him.

"I love you more," Mara said.

"Impossible."


End file.
